Hasan Piker vs. The Establishment | America, Actually
Hasan Piker has become one of the most prominent leftist voices in the US, serving as an online guide for a Democratic Party trying to navigate the new internet. But his rapid rise has sparked a furious backlash from the party’s centrist establishment.
Vox’s Astead Herndon sits down with Jonathan Cowan, president of the premier centrist think tank Third Way, who argues that Piker’s history of inflammatory rhetoric makes him a toxic liability that Democrats must cast out. Then, we put those exact claims to the Twitch streamer himself.
00:00 — Introduction: Is Hasan Piker toxic?
01:12 — The centrist case against Piker with Third Way’s Jonathan Cowan
04:47 — Comparing Piker to far-right extremists
07:34 — Evaluating rhetoric and the threat of violence
10:19 — Electoral strategy: Moderates vs. deep blue progressive pushes
18:14 — The apology question: Third Way’s challenges for Hasan
21:26 — Hasan Piker responds: Addressing the “cringe” past content
23:55 — “Pig dog” and allegations of antisemitic tropes
26:01 — Rick Scott hyperbole and streaming accountability
30:37 — Quadrupling down on Hamas and Israel stances
35:19 — Piker’s theory of political change and the Democratic Party
40:45 — Why liberals fail to capture Twitch and streaming culture
44:00 — Closing message to the Democratic establishment
Sources and further reading:
Democrats Are Too Cozy With Hasan Piker, WSJ Opinion:
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/free-expression/democrats-are-too-cozy-with-hasan-piker-2ecee4cc
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@joanmoore1316
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
@HoboBrute
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
Vox is once again deciding to take what is left of their reputation and ruin it, it's embarrassing that they think platforming third way is anything other than total capitulation billionaire talking points
@Holombarthes
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
After listenting and glancing at the comments: An existential debate about the future of the dems based on a twitch streamer? Man, we‘re never gonna make it.
@hengon93
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
I think it's funny that by Cowan's logic, Hasan would get credited for Nithya Raman's mayoral primary lol
@qamarmunir995
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
Third way has literally said they would rather lose without the left than win with them. They are funded by right-wing donors. They are the enemy, they are traitors. If your enemy doesn't want you to do something, then that is the exact thing you should be doing.
@kitzeecat
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
Third Way is so freaking unserious. They are why people are moving away from establishment do nothing democrats.
@GC-eq3rh
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
Asteads the man
@christineg3905
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
The Dem party needs to denounce this Third Way guy and keep him far away from anyone he’s supporting.
@09jariah
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
His name is cohen?!🤨
@christineg3905
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
Nobody likes or believes the Third Way. We all think you are the monsters. Hasan is not Fuentes. Grow up and leave us voters alone. Your guidance has left the Dems in shambles over the years. We all know Hasan and don’t like you:
@deamoncohln9506
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
Is Third Way going to apologize for getting us into wars my entire time growing up
@xdreamermf7156
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
Destiny bots on full force today
@nierit1
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
ew
@nabs16
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
19:28 This is the dumbest thing he said. Mamdani won, Adam Hamaway won, and Chris Rabb won. Nithya Raman advanced to the general election. You know who Third Way endorsed and who lost? Kamala Harris.
The argument cannot seriously be that everyone who he campaigns for has to get elected.
@infamous6
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
i liked vox. not anymore
@Novatures
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
We cant embrace radicalism. Rightwing or leftwing.
@infamous6
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
the collar dog? bro who cares about this guy opinions? why just why
@missTgalman
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
Just saying that Hassan’s “hamas is 1000 times better” comment got people’s attention unlike the thousand times he talked about why and how hamas became what it is today.
@magnuscarlsen4793
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
I don’t think it was a good interview for Hasan. The questions weren’t very good, and he didn’t do a great job of expressing his views either. Fortunately, the channel gets very low viewership.
@afrodateali9337
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
Agreed with Hasan, best interview 👌
@jakobvest3074
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
I love this third way guy is just reciting out of context clips. Third way neoliberal world view and influence in Washington have caused so much more harm, to the most vulnerable and poorest people in America than Hasan could ever do. At the end of the day it’s clear that third ways policy proposals is deeply unpopular and the only way they can defend themselves is by attacking the messenger of a popular left wing socialist vision of the future. Is also clear that this smearjob didn’t work and third ways influence is vaining.
To Astead why is we only questioning Hasans worldview and not third ways? Maybe look into their advocacy of welfare cuts under the Clinton administration?
@questioneverything8572
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
Hmmm I wonder why he hates Hasan hmmmm I can't put my finger on it hmmmmm
@NextChapterRapper
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
Can we stop and analyse the bigotry allegation? Because as far as I know that is a blatant lie. Hasan is 100% more of an anti-racist than any of the establishment democrats. “Extremist positions on cultural issues”: anti-genocide, anti-apartheid, pro- civil rights, none of that is extremist.
@ComradeRumHam
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
Why were you always trying to move onto the next topic with Hasan instead of letting him explain why he says the stuff he says. The pod save team actually had a thoughtful conversation with Hasan about his views on Hamas but you tried to move the convo forward almost immediately. Completely outrageous and shameful
@jacksmith3557
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
Every time anyone platforms Johnathon Cowan he completely ignores any of the questions and reads off a list of talking points. All you are doing is giving him a larger platform for him to reiterate the same 5 points over and over again, while he refuses to engage in a discussion at all.
@DeniseChevalier-s2d
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
this guy is not being truthful. he's distorting what Hasan Piker espouses, in my opinion.
@davidwave4
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
Putting Cowan and Piker side by side demonstrates where the future of the party is. Cowan and his disingenuous attacks have no future in American politics. Left populism is the future.
@BrowningFirearms
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
Hasan = Trump. He lies constantly, attacks his opponents with accusations he's guilty of, and never takes responsibility or any accountability for his actions.
@uwuphobia728
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
9:04 and so does everyone who supports ice, the military, the police, and evictions. Everyone in america supports some kind of violence. The american revolution was violent. Was it a mistake to fight against tyranny?
@uwuphobia728
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
7:47 you mean two EMBASSY STAFFERS for a country committing genocide. granted, that didnt really further the pro-palestine cause, but it wasnt two completely innocent civilians either
@uwuphobia728
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
5:58 defending a joke from 2013?? does anyone care??
@princestevenii.772
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
CCP, Tehran and Russia propagandist.
@nviz47
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
anti-Semitism false alarm got me 5:33 – he's anti-Israel (the current leadership, NOT the country), not anti-Semitic. They're NOT the same thing. 7:03 this interview guest seems to think they MUST be the same thing. Wow.
This host 6:36 is asking an interesting question and also checked the guy's attempted reframing .
@waitingfortherainz
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
2nd Gen Murdoch leadership is showing
@BLANC0420
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
9 minutes in and this isn’t a serious conversation. Why even platform this lame?
@H4CK41D
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
Hasan is not to be trusted as a serious source for anything. Why are you platforming a pseudointellectual, extremist propagandist influencer exactly? That's the first strike on this channel for me.
@akaemmaclaire
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
5:45 i LAUGHED out loud be fr rn
@inmpls
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
Third Way, go away. You’re ridiculous.
This is the same group of people who literally tried to tell us what words we can and cannot say. Is that “liberal”?
@TheOneandOnly24021
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
Democrats are NEVER winning again if this is the thought process 😂
@youchooby
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
also why is everyone wearing 80s glasses, I hate this
@AliothSpectranet
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
This interview is just the 3rd way guy recycling all the arguments you've already heard if you were remotely in the loop on this discourse it seems.
Alright well good luck with that.
@RumCakeSux
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
Stop giving this guy a platform.
@Hunhaar
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
When it comes to Israel the American politics are all "right wing"
@brianbutler3318
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
Weren’t you guys just attacking him? Lame.
@Hunhaar
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
Boomer vs Gen Z
@Bl4kKiD
June 13, 2026 at 3:11 pm
Vox running defense for Hasan? Just checked recent viewcount on ur videos, LOL that makes sense. Gotta clear my subscription feed anyway.